Weed and grass cutter



April 19, 1927. 1,625,081

P. J. H'AAS WEED AND GRASS CUTTER Original Filed 29. 1922 2 Sheets-$heet 1 P1111. JPJ 12411 S MMMM 1,625,081 Aprll 19,- 1927. I R J HAAS.

WEED AND GRASS CUTTER Original Filed Dec. 29. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PHILIP J [Z411 s Wm wa fiWM Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

U. NIT STAT PAT NT O FF ICE. c

rnrmr J. Haas, or OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

WEED. AND GRASS-CUTTER.

Application filed December 29-, 1922, Serial No. 609,695.

My invention relates to tools or implements of the class my 1, 192l,-wherein ,best represented in U. S. 1atent No. 1,367,380,- granted to me Febru, there: is. provided a J1meIlisci-torrn blade," sharpened at its concave edge, and: providedwith a relatively long handle which extends in a plane 1 perpendicular to the general planeot the blade and ,parallelwith a line between thepoints form pt; thezha-ndle, in the adjustable conneeting means between the handle "and: the

blad :-ant-.in the .wherebyto. (more perfectly,

form oti thevblade itself,

adapt the implement for ;the. cutting; of 1 vegetation on herizont ping o roughsurfaces, 1 and fortrirnming the topsand side of. hedges and the-like,

a perspective view of Fig. 2 is a detail rear In thee accompanylng drawings Fig. 1 is my improved cutter, side view of-the adjustable connecting device,. Fig;,3 is a detail transverse, section on, the line 3-.3o fi Fig. 2,

-Fig. A: is a plan view with :the handle qadjusted to a position parallel with the blade, Fi-g, .,5 is a side view showingthe extreme range ot adjustments of thehandle relative to the blade, and Figs 6 and 7 are side views showing; tilting, anglesof the blade relative to a herizontal planet In carrying; out my invention-=1 provide a crescent-shaped ,or lnen seiforinblade 8 which; is of; unito the concave frontuedge 9 which is beveled at the upper side to Edge; continuous with form a sharp cutting the lower surface.

Adjacent; to the-convex rean edge 0f the blad and uniformly-spaced therefrom, 1s a bead or corrugation 10 formed by downwardrdisplacement ,ot a portion of the material, whereby there is a groove in'the upper surface, and; a corresponding r1dge;upon;the

lowerrs-urtace. -,The main the; body; entty appea body of, the blade --is;f lat-,:butthe points :or end-portions11 are curved; slightly upward fromv the '1 plane 1 of afon a purpose which wilh'pres- The-corrugation or bead. .10

is .not extendedqto v the upturned ends 1 11, but its ninates inthe iiat lJOdYrPOItlOil adintegral upstanding metrical about a rectilinear axis? .upper'end there islanuntegral bulbous-enlargenient' 25,1 and. from "said bulbous por- 1 portion. or neck dlstance above -.Re,newedsscpt.ember so,- 1926 the ends, the block; 12 is securedby lneansot rivets 18, of which; the heads ltat the lower ends thereof preferably extend below the body: of the bladethe same distance as the ridge formed by the bead or corrugationJO, as shown in Fig; 8. On the; block ;12-is an lug 15, having a central transverse opening to receive-a bolt 1.6,ith6

rear face of the lughaving t-hereona series of V-shaped teeth 17 which extend, radially otthe bolt. A metal socketspiece or-ierrule 18 has a flattened header end-.portion-19 provided at one side with teet-lr 20/ adapted to inter-mesh with tl1-e3teeth-17- on the lug'1 5. Said head 19-; alsohas a central opening for thevbo'lt 1 6,andupon thethreaded rear end of the bolt is screwed the WingTnutQL'by which the head-and lug areclamped together in adjusted relations. Thetneck between the sock 't-piece- 18 andrheadl9iis preferably reintorced'by meanslo'l a rib 22, which is forked adjoining 'thethead, lthe forkedportions- 23. extending aronnduthe sides at the rear face =ofy=the head, as shown in:Fig.12,1so-as not to interfere with the nut 21. To :the;;-ferrule-l8. is connected the handle. .24, whichwin the preferredtorm=is made of a tough and:v resilient .wood such as hickory. section throughout its; length; .and' is k sym- At'. its

tion ittapers very graduallyto the smallest ofthe shaft, which is a short the ferrule 18'."- The handle is relatively "longin practice it being of such length that when the blade isat ths -l6Vl=1OlE?'ilh6 ground andithe handle in a qinoderately inclined position, the upper end -ofuthe; handle inay be "grasped'by the user 1 without; stooping or bending of the body.

In the use of, the: implement the blade and handle are adjusted to various angular re- -lations according to'the kind of worktow be done, and the OOHVBIHGHCG- of the user.

Thus, for cutting grass. or thelikei upon-a ubstantially level sur'tace,".the blade and handle are: adjusted to an angular relation approximately as shown in Figsgl', 6 and-7,

' the exact adjustment being suited to the height ozfiithiezuseiyer so that thesupper portion of thehaiidle may be conveniently grasped "with: both whandswhenz the hia-de Theuhandlel is of circular crossa lies flat upon or parallel with the surface of the ground and but slightly raised therefrom. As shown in said figures the implement is adapted for use by a riglrhanded person, but by reversing the inclination of the handle the same is placed at a corresponding position for use by a left-handed person. The angular adjustments are effected by merely loosening the wing-nut 21 sufiiciently to enable the intermeshing teeth 17 and 20 to slip past each other during relative rotation of the lug 15 and head 19 about the axis of the bolt, and again tightening the nut when the parts are in the desired relation, to hold the teeth firmly intermeshed. For use in trimming the tops of hedges or the like, and sometimes for cutting heavy weeds, the handle is adjusted to the extreme position shown in Figs. t and 5, at which the axis of the handle is parallel with the plane of the blade. The dotted outline at the left of Fig. 5 indicates the position of the handle for use by a left-handed person, corresponding with the right-handed position shown by the full lines at the right of the figure. For trimming the sides of hedges, or in any analogous situation requiring cutting in a substantially vertical plane, the handle may be placed at the relative position indicated by the intermediate dotted outline thereof in Fig. 5.

When the implement is used in the ordinary adjustment thereof shown in Fig. 1, the bulbous upper end-portion 25 of the handle is grasped with the left hand, the end of the bulb being partly within the palm of said hand, the thumb and forefinger encircling diagonally the lower portion toward the shaft, and the right hand grasping the shaft immediately below the left-hand. With the implement so held it is swung transversely across the front of the body, the handle being at such an angle that the blade is substantially parallel with the ground during the middle portion of the stroke. The extent of the swing is proportioned to the force required to cut the grass or other vegetation, during the effective or working portion of the stroke. For very coarse or tough vegetation it may be desirable to swing the cutter up over the shoulder at the beginning of the stroke, whereby to accumulate a considerable momentum of the blade prior to the moment when it strikes the ma terial to be cut, the motion and control of the cutter in this case being very similar to the stroke of a golf club in driving. The major portion of the swinging movement of the cutter is effected by motion of the arms and wrists, but, by a moderate swinging or pivotal movement of the body at the waist, the blade of the cutter may be caused to move substantially parallel with the ground for a considerable distance, so that the vegetation may be cut at a uniform height. it

will be seen that the provision of the bulbous enlargement 25 at the upper end of the handle greatly facilitates the control of the cutter, enabling the handle to be held for a continued period without fatigue, and inducing the user to grasp the handle at the extreme end so as to most effectively utilize the momentum of the blade in overcoming the resistance of the material to be out. The ridge formed upon the lower side of the blade by the corrugation or bead 10, serves as a gage 0r guide-shoe to prevent the cutting edge of the blade approaching too close to the ground, and the corrugation also stifl'ens and reinforces the blade. The heads 14 of the rivets 13 also serve to some extent as a guide-shoe.

Referring to Fig. 6, the blade of the cutter is shown in the relation to a'horlzontal surface which it assumes at the middle of the cutting stroke when the user is standing too close to the area of cuttmg, so that the outer end of the blade is closer to the ground than the inner or adjacent end. The reverse situation is represented in F 1g. 7, wherein the outer end of the blade is more elevated than the inner or adjacent end, such a position of the blade resulting fror swinging the same too far out from the point at which the user is standmg. OlIJVlously, at either of such extreme positions the lower end or point of the blade is apt to strike the ground, and it is to minimize such a tendency that the points or endportions 11 of the blade are curved upwardly, as hereinbefore mentioned. The tilting of the blade is somewhat exaggerated in said Figs. 6 and 7 as the user will seldom swing the cutter either so close to or so far out from the point at which he stands as to incline the blade to the extent represented in said figures. The upward curvature of the blade at the ends 11 is, therefore, very efiective in preventing the points of the blade from striking the ground as a result of slight deviations from the normal swing of the cutter.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An implement of the class described, comprising a crescent-shaped blade having its concave of the blade being substantially fiat and the ends having an upward curvature from the plane of the main body, a member secured on the upper side of the blade adjoining the rear convex edge thereof and equidistant from the ends, said member having an upstanding lug extending longitudinally of the blade, a relatively long straight handle having a bulbous enlargement at its upper end, said handle being connected at its lower end with said upstanding lug and adjustable pivotally about edge sharpened, the main body 7 an axis transverse to said lug, whereby said handle is constantly in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the main body of the blade and parallel to a line between the points thereof, and means for securing the handle in fixed relation to the blade at variously adjusted positions in said perpendid ular plane.

2. In an implement of the class described, the combination with a crescent-shaped blade having its concave edge sharpened and its end portions curved upwardly from the plane of the main body thereof of a long straight handle provided at its upper end with an integral bulbous enlargement, and means for securing the lower end of said handle to the central portion of said blade adjoining its rear convex edge, said handle extending in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the body of the blade and longitudinal of its sharpened edge.

PHILIP J. HAAS. 

